Bai Yu looked up, clutching the token in his hand, his gaze somewhat shadowed.
To think that a top scholar of the Heavenly Realm would be so disregardful of the larger picture, manufacturing a fake token simply to have private time with the person he fancied.
Childish.
“I’ve obtained the treasure. Let’s go back to the valley.”
The two hurried back to the valley. As soon as they entered the house, they found it empty, with only the scent of blood growing stronger in the air.
Beside the table lay a corpse, the very witness they had painstakingly searched for.
The witness’s heart area was already soaked red with blood. They were slumped motionlessly by the table leg, their face deathly pale.
Ye Ziling and Bai Yu exchanged glances, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts as they approached the corpse.
Ye Ziling quickly came to the table and felt for the person’s breath, finding no signs of life whatsoever.
Bai Yu carefully examined the body, his expression serious. His eyes darkened, and he stated solemnly, “The body’s temperature is still warm. The witness died about fifteen minutes ago.”
Ye Ziling frowned, stood up, and shook her head incredulously. “Impossible. I set up a formation earlier, and not many can break it. Even Qing Bai couldn’t break it in such a short time!”
The bloodstains on the ground were shocking. The sword piercing the corpse’s heart was still dripping blood. Crows cawed intermittently outside the window, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Ye Ziling wrinkled her brow in distaste. Despite having killed countless people, the sight of the gruesome scene sent a chill through her.
It was as if the killer knew she detested bloodshed, deliberately piercing the victim’s heart to sicken her.
Bai Yu looked at the bloodstains on the ground and the wounds on the body, his brows furrowed. He calmly said, “The killer is definitely not Qing Bai.”
“The witness was pierced through the heart with a sharp weapon. If Qing Bai had killed them, a mere flick of his finger would suffice. Why go to such unnecessary trouble?”
For a Divine Lord, killing a mortal would be as simple as crushing an ant. They would never waste effort tormenting the physical body. 138 reading net
Ye Ziling pondered, about to step outside to search for clues, when she bumped into Ye Jinghuai, who was approaching.
“Sister? What are you doing here?” Ye Jinghuai saw Bai Yu with his sister and immediately understood. He quickly tried to create an opportunity for them to be alone. “It’s my fault for coming at an inopportune time. You continue…”
Ye Jinghuai lowered his head to hide the smile curling at his lips. He turned to leave, but Ye Ziling called out to him.
“Brother, did any strangers come here just now?” Ye Ziling asked seriously, her voice deep.
Bai Yu stepped forward and then asked, “Brother Ye, someone just died here. Has anyone entered or left the valley?”
Seeing their somber expressions, Ye Jinghuai glanced into the house. The shocking pool of blood stung his eyes for a moment.
If not for saving lives and seeing death as commonplace over the years, he might have been frightened.
“What happened?”
Ye Jinghuai stepped into the house and was about to check for breath when Bai Yu stopped him. “Brother Ye, no need to look. The person is already gone.”
Ye Jinghuai looked at the person on the ground. Despite being accustomed to such sights, he couldn’t help but take a few steps back, standing there helplessly.
“It’s my fault…”
“Just now, a young woman was injured, just outside the valley. I brought her in to heal. Who knew that after I got the medicine, she disappeared…”
Ye Jinghuai said, looking at the corpse on the ground, feeling a sense of self-reproach.
“A young woman? What did she look like? What was her name?” Ye Ziling grabbed Ye Jinghuai’s sleeve, her gaze fixed on his solemn face.
“She wore a veil, and I didn’t have time to ask her name.”
Ye Jinghuai’s eyes were slightly dark red, his palms clenched, and he spoke with guilt.
Bai Yu placed a hand on his shoulder and comforted him, “Brother Ye, you needn’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”
“Brother, it’s not your fault.”
With Ye Ziling and Bai Yu’s comfort, Ye Jinghuai felt much better.
Ye Ziling stepped forward and pulled out the long sword.
She wiped the blood off the sword. The characters “Shao Lin” engraved on the hilt were exceptionally conspicuous. She examined it carefully, her gaze growing darker.
A disciple of the Shao Lin sect, and a young woman at that. There was only one identity.
“I’m going to Shao Lin Mountain.”
Ye Ziling, holding the sword, stood up to go to Shao Lin Mountain to find Shen Yueru, but Bai Yu stopped her.
“Tomorrow, Emperor Qing Bai will be hosting a banquet at Shao Lin Mountain. Even if a Shao Lin disciple is the killer, if you go seeking revenge now, you will incur another charge tomorrow.”
Ye Ziling paused and looked back at Bai Yu, nodding.
She had been rash.
If she went to Shao Lin tonight, she would coincide with the banquet between Shao Lin and the Heavenly Realm. If anything happened then, she would be blamed again. If Qing Bai then kicked her while she was down, her identity as a sinner of the Heavenly Realm would be cemented.
The next morning.
Ye Ziling held a spiritual artifact and was about to use magic to open the bottle containing Qing Bai’s sealed memories, but despite her best efforts, she couldn’t open it.
“Let me,” Bai Yu said, seeing her struggling. He took the bottle and, midway through his magic, stopped.
“The memories sealed within this bottle cannot be opened with immortal arts.”
Bai Yu’s gaze fell upon the jade bottle, and he turned to Ye Ziling, smiling contemptuously. “No wonder, it seems it has been tampered with.”
“Tampered with? How?” Ye Ziling asked, feigning confusion.
“Divine Maiden, have you ever heard of the Divine Spring of the Demon Capital?” Bai Yu’s dark face curved into a playful smile, a dangerous charm radiating from him.
Ye Ziling had indeed seen it mentioned in the Heavenly Records.
Legend had it that the Demon Capital contained a Divine Spring. Five hundred years ago, when the demon race surrendered to the Heavenly Realm, that Divine Spring connected to the Heavenly Realm, serving as the entrance from the Demon Capital to the Heavenly Realm.
However, it was precisely because of this Divine Spring that the demon race could seize the opportunity and attack the Heavenly Realm.
And this Divine Spring was sealed by War God Jun Lan with his own power. Though the spring water remained, one could no longer enter the Heavenly Realm through it.
“The Divine Spring of the Demon Capital is the only thing the Heavenly Realm left in the demon realm, and it can break all of the Heavenly Realm’s forbidden spells.”
Ye Ziling suddenly understood. She placed the jade bottle back into her bag and looked at Bai Yu with admiration, a faint smile on her lips. “Immortal Lord Bai Yu is indeed immensely powerful.”
Bai Yu elegantly adjusted his sleeves, took a sip of wine, and smiled faintly. “Not at all. Divine Maiden likely knows more than I do.”
Since Bai Yu’s assistance, Ye Ziling felt that things were proceeding much more smoothly. It seemed that having someone to strategize with was quite beneficial.
In the afternoon, the two boarded a sky boat and headed directly for the Demon Capital.
Upon entering the Demon Capital, the celestial cranes that had been flying in the sky were replaced by crows, their noisy caws echoing through the clouds.
Bai Yu stood at the bow of the boat, his white robes fluttering. He cast a spell, creating a protective barrier against the crows’ attacks.
The illusory spirit behind Ye Ziling stirred. She stood up and drew her bow, preparing to shoot.
An arrow sprang from the string, splitting into several sharp arrows that tore through the wind. A flock of crows let out a caw and plummeted to the ground simultaneously.
She continued her efforts, casting more spells. Hundreds of crows fell in response, clearing their path unobstructed.